An exterior wall of an aircraft comprises at least one marking such as a registration number for example. According to one embodiment, this marking is electroluminescent to remain visible at night or when weather conditions are not favorable.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,470,388 proposes one solution for making an electroluminescent marking on a backing which may be an exterior wall of an aircraft. According to this document, the marking process involves a first step of depositing a first insulating layer on the exterior wall of the aircraft, a second step of depositing a second layer of conductive paint, a third step of depositing a third electroluminescent layer, a fourth step of putting in place a power supply electrode positioned on the perimeter of the electroluminescent layer, a fifth step of depositing a fourth transparent conductive layer and a sixth step of depositing a fifth protection layer such as a varnish.
These different steps are carried out one after another on the aircraft. Given the time it takes to make and dry these different layers, this marking process has a major impact on the production sequence of an aircraft.
In order to make the marking so affixed luminescent, the second layer of conductive paint and the power supply electrode are connected by a wire network to an electrical control and power supply system positioned inside the aircraft. For this purpose, the exterior wall of the aircraft comprises at least one orifice, generally two orifices, positioned around or near the electroluminescent marking to allow the passage of the wire network. When the marking is affixed to a surface subject to an air flow (such as a wall of the fuselage), the operation of piercing modifies the surface of the aircraft which is subjected to an air flow and degrades the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft. Likewise, the presence of a wire network on the surface of the aircraft disturbs the movement of the air flow and the performance of the aircraft.
The present disclosure proposes to remedy the drawbacks of the prior art.